Juicy Rebound (IceCats 1)

I rub my hand roughly along my mouth as I try to control my anger. Everything inside me says to find him—and bury him. How dare he do that to her? She is an angel. My everything.

“He’d hit me if I didn’t agree. If I didn’t clean to his standard. And damn it, he got so mad if I didn’t want to have sex with him. It was all so unreal. He didn’t use to be like that, but once he lost control of his career, he went after me.”

“Because he is a worthless son of a bitch,” I spit out, more for myself than her.

“I didn’t understand for so long. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Surely, it was my fault. It was all things I’d done that made him angry. But then, the last time he hit me, he really messed up my face. I knew I couldn’t go out because I didn’t want anyone to see me. And that time, he didn’t apologize. He said I deserved it for hitting him with a shoe. I didn’t mean to, though. I was cleaning out the closet, and I hit him by accident.”

My stomach clenches. “Which is why you freaked out when you hit me.”

She nods. “I know, Chandler. I know you’d never lay a hand on me. But I was so scared you might.”

“Never, Amelia. Never.”

She squeezes her eyes shut, and I almost don’t think she heard my promise. I want to say it again, but she continues. “I called Shelli. I couldn’t call my mom or my uncle because we weren’t speaking. And I knew if they knew what was happening, they’d kill him. Since I didn’t want anyone going to jail for me, I called Shelli, and she came right away. She brought a journal my mom had kept of her and my dad’s life together. I hadn’t seen it before, and apparently, Shelli had told my mom she needed something to convince me that I didn’t have what my mom and dad had. I’ll never forget the way Shelli looked at me. She had such fear and anger in her eyes, but she was so loving. When we finished the book, I knew I wanted more. I wanted to love my life again, and I wanted to be with someone who would treat me like a princess. So, I left. It took almost four years, but I left him.”

I slip my hand into hers, lacing our fingers together. Pride shakes me to my core as I watch her. Her beautiful face is so tear-stained that it’s killing me, but I am so very proud of her. She is a warrior.

She looks down at my hands and whispers, “I know you probably think I’m pathetic and disgusting—”

“I think you are the strongest woman I have ever met,” I say, cutting off her words. Her gaze snaps to mine, her eyes wide and drowning in tears. “It’s not easy to leave a situation like that, especially when you convince yourself it’s your fault. But you did, Amelia. You wanted more, you wanted to be happy, and you’ve done that.”

“But I was weak.”

“Was,” I stress. “You’re not weak now. You’re strong, you’re beautiful, and hell, Amelia, you blow me away. Why do you think I fell for you so easily? In the last four months, I’ve watched you find your happiness. I watched you grow from someone who was going through the motions to a woman who is living her life. Yes, it sucks what he did to you—and I’m extremely pissed off that you didn’t let me beat his ass—but baby, you aren’t that girl anymore.”

Her lips quiver as she looks up at me. “Shelli said the same thing.”

“Because it’s true, and like Shelli, I would go to jail for you in a heartbeat. You’re special, Amelia. You’re everything. You’re perfect for me.”

A tear rolls down her face as her gaze stays locked with mine. “I am so embarrassed I allowed someone to do that to me. I thought that you wouldn’t want to be with me after knowing all of it, that you would think I was pathetic and not the woman you deserve, because, really, I’m not.”

“You are, Amelia. And all this just makes me want to be with you more.” I step closer. “Just makes me want to prove to you that you don’t need a man to treat you like a princess, but instead, like the queen you are. I am going to do that, baby, because I love you. So much.”

“You still do?”

“I always will,” I promise, taking her face in my hands. I run my thumb along her jaw and then her lip. “You’re it.”

A tremulous smile covers her lips. “Why couldn’t you have told me that when we first met?”